Garver shines in Twins' win, but exits with injury

Twins catcher Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer and tagged out the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani trying to score the tying run in the eighth inning of Minnesota’s 4-3 victory on Tuesday, but Garver suffered a left high ankle sprain on the latter play.

Garver, a breakout performer this season with a .329 average, took in Byron Buxton‘s throw and applied the tag on Ohtani, then had to be helped off the field without putting weight on his left leg. Garver’s foot twisted awkwardly as Ohtani slid into his leg. The catcher was replaced the next inning by Jason Castro.

Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said the team would know more about Garver’s prognosis following additional testing on Wednesday.

“Probably not in as much pain as I was expecting,” Baldelli said. “But anything beyond that is speculation.”

Garver homered in the third inning to give Minnesota a three-run lead behind Kyle Gibson (4-1). It was Garver’s ninth homer and traveled to the second deck in left field.

“You can’t fake what he is doing,” Baldelli said of Garver. “He sees the ball. He makes great decisions on a pitch-to-pitch basis. He has tremendous at-bats. When you have at-bats like that and have a good, short stroke, it’s a good combination — and that’s what he’s working with.”